


The Moon and The Sand

by Kobuntan



Category: Naruto
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fights, Friendship, Gaara needs some more love, Getting to Know Each Other, Love, Trouble, maybe some smut later who knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-19 14:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5970775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kobuntan/pseuds/Kobuntan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I ignored your aura but it grabbed me by the hand, like the moon pulled the tide, and the tide pulled the sand.”<br/>― Talib Kweli</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting the Unknown

Her eyes focused on the road at the edge of the dunes, but the sand was too loose. The waves of air were strong and the sand was blowing, hissing dangerously. The air was thick with humidity, and the young girl could have sworn she had never sweated so much in her life. She couldn't run any faster, and felt like her legs can’t take her any longer. For a moment, she shut her eyes. This was not a dream, and she knew it, she was already in the desert. The only thing now that was running wild in her mind was survival. Even thought she was a kunoichi, she could get lost easily - that was her only weakness.

She closed her eyes and replayed the scene over and over in her mind. Her eyes scanning her memories of the road, how she got out of Sunagakure and how she used to get back. It was all she could think about. Ten minutes later she opened them, her thoughts collected again. The sun was burning her face, and she could feel the desert heat through her boots. The desert didn't scare her. No. However, she wasn’t really fond of it. The heat was stifling her lungs. She could hardly breathe. She looked around, and saw a large rock lying in the middle of nowhere, where the sound seemed to come from. She could feel fatigue starting to take hold. Her shoulders ached. Her legs ached. Her neck ached. Her knee ached. She sighed in slight defeat of the heat.

She quickened her step, running in the sand until she reached, which she assumed was a stone.

Taking a few steps closer, she realised it is not a stone, but a gourd. Seeing two pair of feet next to it, she gulped so hard she felt an unpleasant pain in her throat. She saw a man lying on the sand, that moment, she forgot her own pain. She moved closer to the moveless body, catching her breath as she saw his face. He was a young man, about her age, probably, his skin was fair and his spiky hair looked crimson as the sun was illuminating it.

The fearless girl squatted near the man, touching his neck for any sign of life. She could feel the pulse under her fingers. She leaned closer, seeing an unfamiliar mark on his forehead. His eyes were closed, but there was something strange about them. He had black rings around his eyes, she wondered if he had that much trouble sleeping. Poor thing, she thought to herself as she continued her eye wandering on him.

After scanning his face properly and finding no sight of blood; she sight in relief, her eyes wandered lower, searching for any sign of wound and blood. A small stream of red fluid ran over his wrist and dropped down on the sand, colouring the brown with crimson. She took his hand into hers and examined the wound for a while; it did not look like a snake bite.

Taking out a small vial of water out of her pouch, she sighed, thinking about how she could use that water later. However saving a person was her priority, apologizing in advance for causing him slight pain. She poured water on his wounds, praying to gods he won't open his eyes and slit her throat. The man with the crimson hair did not move, and made no sound. When the wound was clean and dry, she took out the small handkerchief from the pouch she had attached on her hip and pressed it on his hand, bandaging it.

The red haired man was wearing a black body with an open neck, t-shirt-like sleeves, his right shoulder and hip was bandaged with a white cloth.

“How can you survive in those clothes I will never understand?” She looked for his head protector but couldn’t find it on him. Her clothes were soaking wet, all the way through to her underclothes. She felt disgusting. Looking around she saw it hanging on the gourd which she assumed belonged to him.

“So you belong to the sand village, huh?” She said, her words being unheard. Once or twice she sighed heavily; and then looked angrily at the unconscious man. She had to admit that he looked quite handsome.

“Of course it’s my luck. The only person that knows the way I ran into is unconscious. Great, just great!” Leaning closer to him, she poked him into his shoulder, hoping for any sign of reaction. When she got nothing, another groan of frustration left her lips.

“How am I supposed to carry you, pretty boy?” Asking herself, she grabbed the man and tried to lift him. To her surprise, he was lighter than he looked.

She took off both of his white bandaged from his shoulder and hip to use it as a rope. Taking him on her back, she tied his hands lightly around her neck and legs around her hips, holding onto one of his tights.

“I believe I must take this with me, huh.” Looking at the gourd next to her and then took a glimpse of the man on her back. An annoyed expression crossed her face.

“Then be it.” She took the cream-like gourd and started to pull it behind her as she was walking slowly. Her legs were in pain and the weight on her back did not made it easy for her. Muttering curses under her breath, as with each step her feet landed on the boiling sand. Sweat dripped off her forehead. By the time they reached a familiar place for her, it was dusk.

The sun had set only its halo remained, slowly fading. The sky was pink and cloudy, and few lizards ran, their bodies moving easily on the sand and few rocks. Chills ran up and down her legs and nerves knotted her stomach once again. Lights shimmered upon the dazzling sand, creating a feeling as if she would be walking on diamonds. After a while, a mysterious darkness, creeps over the face of nature, a shiver ran down her spine. The sky was a dark blue, with sparkling stars around a glowing silver moon. The breeze flapped her hair around her face, and she knew she had to take a break.

“I’m going to put you down now.” She said, as if he could hear her. The girl sat down in the sand with him on her back and slowly unwrapped the cloth off his hands. Catching him not to fall, she slowly placed him down. She took the water vial out of her pouch and placed it to his lips, softly placing her hand on his hand while she poured few drops into his mouth. His lips looked no longer cracked; she smiled softly and drank a bit herself.

A soft breeze twisted a long strand of hair across her eyes and she reached up to tuck it behind her ears.

“I wonder when you are going to wake up.” A sigh left her lips as she collected him on her back and repeated the whole knotting ritual. Taking the gourd again, she started walking into the night. The temperature outside fell under 0 degrees. The air got cold very quickly. The air got colder on her wet skin, and the wind made muffled shrieks. Just an hour ago she wanted to take her clothes off and now she would shrink and burry herself in them.

After a little more walking, she spotted something big in the distance. Relief washed over her body as she thought it might be a good shelter for both of them. Reaching the rock, she realised it was too big for her to lift up and her chakra wasn’t full anymore, however, she was earth user. Finally she found it handy.

She smiled to herself as she slowly squatted down with the man attached on her back, she released him and forgot that she had to catch him; he hit the sand creating no sound. She took off her jacket and placed it over him. Mentally she apologized and faced the rock again. Her muscles were sore, but the more she used them, the less painful it was to move. She got already used to such pain. The size of the rock was not the problem anymore, but the shape and posture. For a moment she thought, and then it hit her, douton technique. Kneeling down, she dug a little hole with her hands in the soft sand.

She clapped her hands together as she yelled, “Magaru no jutsu!” The rock began to change its shape; it mended a little so now it looked more than a roof than a rock. She smiled proudly and looked at the boy, as if she would be expecting praise.

“Right, you’re knocked out.” With a sight she grabbed his hands and dragged him under the rock, following with gourd as she leaned it against the rock. As it got darker, a cool wind started blowing.

“I really hope you will wake up soon and will be able to walk on your own, because man, you are getting heavy. No offence.” She muttered and sighed.

The wind got stronger and stronger. As the wind howled and blew the sand up and down, creating small silhouettes she shivered. The girl placed two of her fingers on his neck to check his pulse, it was steady and he was still alive. She placed her hand on his forehead to check if he is not running a fever, but he wasn’t, his temperature felt normal. Weakly she leaned against him and gave a small sigh of exhaustion. The only thing she wanted was a long, leisurely bath without any interruption.

“What a day.” She closed her eyes and pictured her home and warm bed while she was waiting the sandstorm to pass.


	2. The Sand Arachnid

The following morning she awakened before dawn, a shiver ran down her spine as the wind slightly hit her warm skin. Cool air rushed in and again as she inhaled deeply. She noticed with relief that they were both alive and the storm has passed. A moment later she found herself standing outside, stretching and ready for another day. Her stomach growled, and she looked down on it with an apologetic smile.

Placing a hand on her stomach and lightly patting it she said, “I’m sorry, tummy.” Turning around, she caught the man and dragged him out, squatting down she placed him on her back, tied up his hands and legs swiftly and she had to laugh at herself.

“I’m getting a hang of it.” Leaning against the rock she grabbed his gourd and started her journey again.

The sun was slowly peeking out on the horizon, rising in its arc across the sky. Once fully risen, the sun moves in very slow motion — she could feel the warmth on her skin. She was walking and walking for an hour, or even more, it seemed to her like eternity. The girl had no idea where she was; she needed water, and even worse, there were no signs of civilization anywhere. She hoped that she will see at least someone if not a village as soon as possible, because hunger and exhaustion were slowly but certainly getting to her. The heat was rising each hour and when it came to the point of almost passing out, she told herself it couldn't be worse.

Out of blue, she felt the ground shake. When she looked down, she saw that the ground was dissolving beneath and before her feet. Her eyes immediately scanned the place around them and stood in a fighting position. A huge sand scorpion crawled out of the depth of the desert; its eyes sparkled with hunger. Its coal-like eyes glared on the man on her back, green slime leaping from its mouth, guessing it was poison.

“Damn. Right when I was thinking it can't get worse. Of course it will, it’s me after all.” She spat few curses while she put the red headed ninja off her back on the sand, preparing herself to battle with that horrid arachnid.

The creature that stood before her, eyeing her with flared nostrils and an unfriendly glare. The scorpion attacked her; she jumped and leaped around the snapping claw as she withdrew three pairs of shuriken and threw it simultaneously at it. Being still in the air she took out her kunai and was ready to attack. The scorpion used its pincher to try and grab her, without success. She was good at dodging, she swing her weapon at it on the back of its neck; cutting it behind its head. No damage was made, its armour was stronger than her knifes. She cursed under her breath as she landed on the sand, catching her breath as a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. It shifted its body and attacked with its stinger. She managed to roll and the stinger hit the ground next to her.

The young girl swung her kunai and cut it over its tail. The creature released an animalistic cry as she managed to wound it. Suddenly, the sand around her started to gather in the air, she looked up confused, wondering what was happening this time. The eight leg arachnid turned to face her again, its four pedipals roamed up in the air, striking one after another trying to hit her. The sand formed itself in a huge ball and caught the scorpion in it. The sand was slowly covering its whole body as it was screaming in agony; she had to cover her ear unable to keep listening to it. Swiftly, the sand squeezed the monster and it fell on the ground, lifeless.

Sand grains were slowly falling down, she had to look down not to catch some into her eyes. She placed her hand on her forehead to create a small roof and looked up, trying to find the person who was responsible for this. Her eyes spotted a petite figure, as soon as the sun covered the person’s hair she gasped. The red hair, the crimson red she saw the first time two days ago. A ghost smile appeared on her lips.

“Are you alright?” The sand was no longer around her, it was peacefully lying on the bouncy ground. The girl nodded and sighed in relief, her legs were no longer strong and she hit the ground with her bottom. The boy stood there with a puzzled expression for a moment and then decided to walk to her. He was sure that she could not harm him; she no longer had the power to fight. With the hair bristling at the nape of her neck and sweat rolling down her back, she heard the boys telling her something. She did not catch everything; she only nodded in response as she looked up just to find a hand waiting for her.

Placing her hand into his she was brought up on her feet again.

She looked him in the eyes, they were green, and she hasn’t seen such a colour before. It was mesmerizing. The boy did not move, he stood still, still holding her hand as she heard her click her tongue.

“You are most welcome by the way.” Realising that her hand was still in his, a slight blush appeared on her cheeks, she withdrew her hand and searched for the remaining water in her pouch. He did not understand what she was talking about. When she had her share she passed the vial to the boy.

“Anyway, here, drink. I tried to give you some water while you were unconscious not to die on me. This is the remaining, so… Here.” Running her fingers through her locks, she put the kunai back in her pouch.

“What’s your name, mute boy?” Cocking an eyebrow, she wondered if he will ever speak again.

“Gaara.” Oh, so he could talk, she thought.

“Nice to meet you, Gaara.” The red haired youngster reached for her shoulder and he spotted blood. The young girl was looking at him nervously, unsure about his action.

“You are hurt.” He was looking slightly worried, but relieved enough to see her in one piece. Her arm became covered with blood.

“Shit.” A curse left her lips. Her lips had turned faintly blue; the scorpion managed to scratch her. Her skin looked as pale and translucent as paper. She could feel a strange poison running through her body. He knew what was coming, he needed to get her out of her, now. Gaara took few steps behind as he dropped the water on the ground, getting an unpleasant hiss from the girl; he lifted his hands and created a medium sized circle which reminded her of a smaller table.

“W-What are you doing?” She gulped as she eyed the man before her.

“Right, that’s what I get for taking care of someone for two days. Fine, let it be fast.”

She caught her bleeding arm as she tried to hold her balance still. She closed her eyes as she saw a long stripe of sand getting closer to her. He did not want to kill her; what was she talking about, he did not understand. He tried to help her, to get her away from the desert. Her heart was racing in her chest, to her surprise, she was not ready to die, yet she could no longer fight. Her body was worn out and her muscles were sore.

Feeling an unpleasant movement around her waist she opened one of her eyes and saw the sand being snaked around her. It was slowly dragging her towards Gaara, her mind was running wild, from one memory to another. Everything was running so fast, she saw things she thought she no longer possessed in her mind. Closing her eyes, she saw her passed mother, smiling upon her while she was brushing her hair. Singing her song, both of them happy, so happy. She felt him near, his warm breath on her face. It soothed her pain, yet freaked her out. Her heart was beating rapidly and she had suddenly developed a headache. 

“Don't close your eyes!” His voice faltered, and she could sense his frustration. His arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he said, more of a command, eyeing her worriedly. Her eyes rolled back in her head, she shrugged in discomfort as she was holding her arm, she heard him mutter something under his nose but couldn't hear it properly, and her vision went black. “You hear me?!”


	3. Hospital

She opened her eyes heavily as if caught in the middle of a deep sleep. The scent of the hospital —antiseptic, cleaner — filled her nose, her stomach felt weak and queasy. She wrinkled her nose, trying to sit up she squirmed with pain, but did not stop until she was sitting. A tinge of irritation flashed across on her brow, she felt sticky all over and wanted to take a shower, quick. Her hair was messy and unkept, not intentionally, but forced by circumstances. She blinked, letting her eyes get used to the light. She tried to stretch her body and muscles but her bandaged arm did not allowed her to fully do so.

Faint sunlight, coming through the window, added some light to the room.

“How are you feeling?” Hearing a familiar voice she turned her head towards it, spotting the well-known red head; now she felt at ease.

“I have been through worse. Where am I?” Aware of the fact that she was in hospital, curious about the location or village she was in. Her hands fell on top of the bed sheet.

“You are in Sunagakure's hospital right now. You were in a critical state so my medics had to take care of you.” His medics, she repeated in her head. Who was he? She nodded as she received the new information. So she made it in Suna after all. The second part caught her off guard.

“T-Take care of me?” She shrugged in the sheets in discomfort. She wondered what they did to her. Gaara’s face showed a small glimpse of confusion, he did not understand her way of thinking at all.

As he was about to say something, she cut him off saying; “Anyway, what was wrong with me? I do recall that I had a scratch on my shoulder but it couldn’t be that serious.” Her eyes found his and waited for an answer.

“That _scratch_ , you are implying to, was indeed a scratch, however a poisonous one. The scorpion you tried to fight was covered with poison.” He stood up from the chair. She knew about the poison but the fact he was covered with it somehow slipped her mind.

“If I was even a second late...” Gaara didn't finish the sentence but she knew what he was trying to say.

“Well... Thank you, I'm in your debt.” A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, she could have sworn that the man just smiled. She eyed him for a moment, he indeed was a pretty boy. Gaara nodded and seated himself back on one of the available chairs near her bed. He leaned against the back of the chair, his hands awkwardly placed on his tights as his eyes were studying her features. His eyes were locked on hers, and she could see something come to life in them. What it was, she wondered. He studied her features and saw the fire in her eyes and the pout of annoyance around her mouth. Her eyes were alert, perceptive, and intelligent. The young woman mellowed and narrowed her orbs as he kept looking at her, making her feel nervous.

Gaara’s gaze lingering on her lips, he was brought back when she coughed and caught his attention.

“Excuse me; you are making me feel nervous. If you want to know anything why won’t you ask?” He leaned closer to me, his entrancing green eyes filled with curiosity.

“What are you? Why are you here? Where are you from? Why did you save me?” He was taken aback himself at the amount of questions he asked. He kept asking questions, she felt a slight headache coming on.

“Woo, woo, slow down big boy.” She caressed her nape, he was way too curious to her liking. She inhaled deeply, tilted her head back and looked back at Gaara with one eye. The boy looked at her with curiousity, unsure why she just called him a big boy, when he was clearly a smaller type of person. For a moment he got worried she might have had hit her head.

“My name is Kimiko; I’m presently the only survival of Kaguya clan. I was running some mission for Konohagakure, but, I got lost in the desert.” She hummed sheepishly, closing her eye.

“Then I found you, lying on the sand without any signs of life, helplessly. I saved you because it was my duty as a human being, you know. How could I look at myself later on if I would abandon you there?” She sighed, opening her eyes.

“Although, you seemed quite dead to me, to be honest. I decided to check your pulse to make sure whether you are alive or dead, but when I felt your pulse I knew what I had to do.” She looked at him, his eyes softened. She wanted to save him, HIM. She did not fear his appearance and even made the effort to take care of him. In his chest, he felt an unusual feeling. He was sitting in a wood chair, hands crossed on his chest.

“It is only natural for me; I guess that’s why I’m in trouble all the time…” The last part of her sentence, she murmured under her nose as she looked at her hands. He was taken aback by the new found information. The moment he heard she is from Kaguya clan his whole body stiffed and his muscles tensed for a moment.

“You said you are from Kaguya clan?” One of the only things that fully caught his attention. She nodded in response; there was only one last thing he had to know.

“Then... Is it possible you are related to a ninja called Kimimaro?” Hearing her brother’s name, her eyes light up.

“Yes,” a ghost of a smile crossed her lips, “he is my brother. Why? You know him?” There was tremulous hope in her voice. She wanted to, had to, know every single thing that could lead her to her brother.

The young girl was desperate to find her brother in hope he is still alive, despite his illness. Deep in her heart, she hoped it was not too late. To tell the truth, it was her private mission along with the secret one she was taking from another village. The plan was to gather as much information as possible, she was able to gather some clues, however; most of them were unclear or false. But this time, she knew she was sitting in front of the right guy.

Seeing the hope in her eyes made his stomach sink, a single drop of sweat ran down his nape. Unsure what to say, what to do or how to react. How was he supposed to tell this girl who saved his life, tell the truth? That he was the one that took her dear brother’s life? Telling a lie would be even worse. Lying would be wrong no matter how he was looking at it. He wasn't the type of man to run out on his responsibility nor would he lie around to people.

“Well, he... he passed away. I'm very sorry.” Gaara told her that her brother was no longer walking with them on this world.

“So in the end, I am late huh? I-It killed him.” She said, struggling to keep her voice from trembling, but not quite succeeding. Her eyes were watery as she looked back at her hands, her knuckles white from the strength of her grip.

Gaara could tell she was in pain; some feelings were no longer unfamiliar to him. A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek with a deep sigh, falling on her hand. Realising she was all alone on this world; tears began to run down her cheeks as she pressed the sheet on her chest, holding it tightly against her chest. Sobs tore from her throat as she ripped at the blanket, a guttural cry of raw agony tearing from her heart. Her breathing fastened. 

She was speechless. A million thoughts filled her head. So much for thinking that she will ever hug and spend some time with her brother.

He was startled; Gaara jerked forward and glanced up at her. He felt helpless, unsure what to say, what to do. For a moment he wished his sister or his brother would be there to tell him what was he supposed to do during a situation like this. He reached his hand towards her, he caught it and placed it beneath his hands together with her other hand, gently brushed his fingertips over her hand. Her skin felt satiny smooth and soft, but only for an instant before goose bumps rose on her arms. 

The girl was shocked by the sudden contact, not to mention the electricity her touch sent through his system.

The familiar ritual felt comforting. She could feel Gaara watching her. She did not pull away; she squeezed his hand hard as another stream of tears rolled down her red cheeks. She decided to push aside her fears regarding her brother's death and concentrate on what her brother told her he wanted to be done. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she noticed Gaara's hand and fingers were rough, probably from hard work. However his touch calmed her down.

Taking a deep breath of air, she wiped her tears away with the back of her free hand.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry you had to see this.” He squeezed her hand gently and stared into her eyes.

“You don’t have to apologize.” He gently brushed his thumb over the top of her hand. He understood, he knew what it felt like to lose someone dear to them.


	4. The Red Haired Man

Two days have passed; she hasn't seen him since the day she woke up and they had a little chat. Kimiko was disappointed that he hadn't come in, she was really missing his chatter. She sat up for a few minutes, and then noticed that there was no longer a bandage on her arm. She stretched her arms up above her and then back down, she hissed at the slight pain but it wasn’t as bad as before. Spotting that the weather was good outside, she stood up and walked towards the window, after she reached it, she opened it to let fresh air into the room. For a while, she was standing by her window, looking down at the pool. The warm air playing with her hair.

She closed her eyes, savouring the warmth and freshness on her face. She let her thoughts wander. She felt the familiar pull of fantasy, taking her out of this reality into another one, better one. The one that pleased her heart and did not made her suffer. Recalling her brother’s face, his malachite eyes looking in her own; that adoring smile he had each time she ran towards him. Only by looking at her. Called him brother. Those silver locks, which she enjoyed playing with, planting flowers into them and teasing him. Calling him a beautiful princess and then running away as he started chasing her, telling her he will have his revenge when she will be sleeping. But that never happened.

Kimimaro was a loving and caring brother. He never did so; he was always by her side, protecting each other, standing beside each other. She swallowed hard, she wanted to say something, to tell him that she missed him, but she couldn't. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she was brought back to reality.

“Miss? Miss, you shouldn’t be out of the bed yet. Please.” The nurse placed her hand on her back as she gently guided her back to bed.

“I feel fine, just fine.” The youngster said and sad down on the bed as she was supposed to, not fighting.

“Our master told us to keep you in bed and to gain your health quickly.” Master? Kimiko looked at the nurse and cocked an eyebrow; this place was weird to her liking. Who was she talking about? With a sigh she turned her head around, leaving the matter be for now.

“Miss, I’m going to put cream on your shoulder. It might be unpleasant.” The nurse warned, and she only nodded her head. The petite lady rolled up her sleeve and started rubbing the cream on the wound and all over it. It did not felt unpleasant as it was told to her; it felt good, calming to be precise. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feeling how the pain slowly faded away.

Eventually, her eyes suddenly felt heavy, her whole body going numb as her eyes closed. Gaara entered her room after knocking once, twice, no response. Seeing her sleeping figure, he closed the door behind him in silence. Gaara saw her shiver, and roll onto her side, drawing the cover closer. He closed the window for her and then seated himself near her bed, he scanned her sleeping face. The lines on his face concert deepened, the sight of her made him remember his fight with her belated brother. He could still recall that memory as if happened just a while ago.

He arrived at the battle field just in the right time. Kimimaro turned his back and was about to leave when he heard the darker haired man speak to him. Lee was lying on the ground, his face looked bruised and as he was trying to stand up, his legs and arms were shaking. Before he started to run again, he yelled something. Gaara knew he was running for certain death so he blocked him as soon as he was about to reach Kimimaro.

His sand was floating around Lee’s body and it was slowly pulling him back, the silver haired man looked annoyed by his action, yet he did nothing but stood. Gaara’s sand placed Lee on the ground and noted that he is slower than when they last met. Lee indicated that is because he was severely injured and just recently had a surgery. Gaara’s expression did not chance, however, feeling guilty he insisted that he will be the one fighting Kimimaro so that Lee doesn't risk further injury. Kimimaro shot bone-like-bullets at them which were blocked by Gaara’s sand. Kimimaro was at a disadvantage, since Gaara was capable of blocking all physical attacks, and Kimimaro could only use physical attacks.

Gaara caught him with his sand and used Sand Waterfall Funeral on him. Kimimaro managed to survive his attack, which caught Gaara off guard. Kimimaro created a film of bone beneath his skin to protect himself. Gaara increased the scale and blanked Kimimaro and all the surrounding are with his sand and one more time used Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral. Kimimaro survives yet again. He used his cursed seal to its second level, the transformation allowed him to outpace the red haired man’s sand and restrain Gaara with his spine. By now, Kimimaro was panting heavily, he prepared to attack with Dance of the Clematis: Flower, which Gaara easily locked with his Shield of Shukaku. Kimimaro said his willingness to give his life to Orochimaru, seeing the man so desperately fighting for the idea that was planted in his head, Gaara decided that Kimimaro has been brainwashed and used his sand to drag him deep underground.

As Gaara was pulling him down, Kimimaro used his Dance of the Seedling Fern, forcing Gaara to use Desert Suspension to get himself and Lee to a safe place. The moment Gaara landed, he was ready to fight back; however, just before Kimimaro could finish Gaara, his terminal illness ended his life. Why now? He wondered as a shiver ran down the centre of his spine.

His mind shied away from images of that fight and stood up as he heard her murmur something in her sleep. He tried to listen but couldn’t hear it properly, except for her saying something she refused to do. Opening her eyes slowly, she felt a cold breeze across her face. The young girl glanced back at the door to make sure they were closed. The sun had already set; the room was pitch black, covered with nothing but darkness, only the moon making some light. Kimiko brought a hand to her eyes and rubbed them. She pulled the blankets close around her. Carefully she swung her legs over the side of the bed; a loud yawn escaped her mouth. She laughed drowsily as she stood up and made her way towards the window.

“What was in that cream anyway…?” Muttering, she scratched the back of her neck. Closing the window, a shiver ran down her body; as she turned around a yelp escaped her lips.

There was a man sitting in the chair. Her eyes were looking for anything she could grab. Spotting the hairbrush lying close to her on the table, she grabbed it and threw it towards the man. The man stirred, gasped in pain and stilled. Slowly, one eye opened, widened in shock, and then relaxed slightly.

“What do you want?!” She spat, her voice dripping with venom and iciness. The voice caught him off guard; he rose from his chair and walked toward her. He noted not to sneak on her, otherwise he might end up with an injury, if not worse. Kimiko spoke to him again, warning him, while never letting her gaze leave the man slowly walking to her. When he stepped out of the shadow, she gasped and in a second whispered an apology.

“I had no idea it’s you.” Spotting the small bump on his forehead she cursed in her head and quickly closed the distance between them. Placing her hand softly on the bump and started blowing air straight on his forehead. By now, his eyes widened in shock at the sight of her being so close. Looking up she met his gaze, his eyes lit marbled pale green by the moon, were looking down on her. He stepped back and leaned closer, looking deep into her eyes, his going warm and soft. She swallowed hard, resisting the urge to step back again.

“I-I’m sorry.” Taking some steps back.

“I-I was just caught off guard and I always did the same to my bro-…” Her eyes found the floor and sighed, defeated. The moment he heard the mention of her brother, he wondered what kind of relationship they had. 

“Anyway, what are you doing here? It’s late.” Inhaling a big amount of air she raised her head and looked at him again.

“I heard that you are feeling better, I had some time so I stopped by and wanted to make sure myself. By the time I got here you were already asleep, and I did not want to bother you.” Gaara’s face was expressionless as always, however his eyes, they were telling a different story.

“I decided to stay here and wait until you wake up. That is my reason for being here.” Turquois eyes locked with hers. He had to admit, that her sleeping figure looked quite adoring, and her silver hair was smooth to his surprise. Admitting to himself, that she and Kimimaro looked quite alike. They shared the same colour of hair, even the two red dots up their eyes. The only thing that was different was their personalities, her brother cold and ruthless and she, well; she was a bit of a troublemaker.

Or, as she mentioned to him before, a magnet to trouble. He did not understand the depth of this feeling in his chest, just knew that being closer to her made him feel relax, and accepted at some point. He did not even know her properly, what was wrong with him? However, his other part or better one, said his conscience was eating him from the inside. While Kimiko was still asleep, Gaara was debating with himself over and over again about how to tell her what exactly happened to Kimimaro, how he died, how he knew that. Gaara tried to come up with something that wouldn’t destroy her developing trust in him or what bond they had and what would spare her feelings, but he couldn’t come up with anything rational, except for the truth. He could just tell her the whole story without any secrets, lies or slightly modified content.

Kimiko was quiet taken aback by his words; as soon as a small smile curved her soft full lips it faded away.

“You don't have to pamper me pretty boy. I'm not a child, you see.” Her lips parted, her mouth forming a wordless 'oh'. Gaara nodded, agreeing, slightly taken aback by her sudden change of attitude as he studied her reactions.

“I'm perfectly fine. You should have asked the nurses!” Her arm started to ache, and her hands were starting to sweat. Gaara cocked his head to side.

“Did I do something wrong? Are you feeling alright?” Feelings and human expressions were new things to him; he did not understand them all. At times, he needed help from his siblings; whom gladly answered all his curiosity. Although the price was always their laughter.

“As I said before, I am fine! It’s just so warm here I am still not used to it, you know. I should open the window again.” Kimiko walked to the window which was closed by the nurse, opening it she felt cold breeze hitting her face. She sighed in relief and leaned against the frame.

“Why did you come here?” If her memory wasn’t loose, she already told him the reason about her staying.

“What do you mean? I already told you my reason.” The sun was rising over the houses outside her window — hazy lines of mist lifting off the sand as the sun rose bright and hot. The light within the room shifted from blue to red to yellow and orange.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Kimiko blew out a relieved breath and went to answer the door. As she pushed open the door, two unfamiliar faces stepped in the room. Moving a few steps back, she took a deep breath and looked behind her at Gaara then back at the two unfamiliar faces that were eyeing her. One of them was a male, towering the smaller figure of the female that was looking at her with an unpleasant glare.

The man was wearing a black, baggy body suit with a red circle on the front. His head was covered with a black hood, and cat-like ears, that made her giggle. His forehead protector was wrapped around his forehead and his face was covered with purple triangular paint design. The girl standing in front of him with the blonde hair, reminded her of the sand and her teal eyes fixed on her. Her spiky hair gathered into four consecutive ponytails. She was wearing a light purple coloured dress, off-the-shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a crimson sash tied around her waist. Her left tight and right foot was incorporating with fishnet; the black forehead protector was around her neck. She felt his hands, warm on her shoulders, as he squeezed her gently bringing her back to senses, she moved aback, slightly frightened.

“You are the one who saved Gaara, aren’t you?” Spoke the man with the cat ear; she nodded her head in response.

“Yeah, that would be me, I guess.” Gaara’s hand fell to its original place.

“I’m Kankuro,” pointing at the female in front of him he added, “and this is Temari.” He smirked down at her, scanned her body with his coal eyes. There was silence, no one said anything, she had been waiting for, what was she even waiting for she wondered, ever since his talk had ended. Then it hit her, she forgot to introduce herself, too much was happening in the past days.

She politely introduced herself with a slightly fading smile; “Nice to meet you, I’m Kimiko.” Then she nervously waited, a single sweat drop rolled down her nape. Are they here to hurt her? She couldn't see any weapon near her, only the vase but that would take down only one of them. She looked back on th eman who was eyeing her.

“A fighter one, are you?” The girl narrowed her eyes.

“We're not here to hurt you, calm down kid.” The moment she heard him call her a kid a vein popped on her forehead as she clicked her tongue.

“What did you say?” She said in a low, dangerous voice, challenging him. Gaara was eyeing the situation in silence, if anything, he was ready to make a step and end their quarrelling.

The man laughed and raised his arms up in the air. “Defeated.” She glared at him. The blonde woman slapped his head as she muttered a silent apology she could barely hear. However the moment she called him an idiot, Kimiko smirked.

At that moment, she wanted to take a shower or anything; she hadn’t had a chance for that yet. Having guests now wasn’t the best idea in her eyes.

“Sorry, kid.”

“God help me if you call me a kid one more time...” She didn't finish the sentence, leaving the rest to his imagination. Kankuro smirked. Gaara slowly placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and whispered something. Before she could take a closer look at his features her thought were interrupted. 

“Thank you for taking care of our little brother, Kimiko.” She said cheerfully. The woman who was puckering her forehead for a while now; looked relax, her features softened and a small smile appeared on her lips.

“L-Little brother?!” She stood there, caught off guard, not expecting such an answer, her question asked in a higher tone than she expected. Now, the only thing that was bugging her was the thing that the nurse mentioned, if she could recall it correctly, she called him master. Now was the moment for her questions to be answered.

“So yo—”

“What? Do we not look like his siblings?” Kankuro smirked at Kimiko, her shocked expression amused him greatly and he chuckled. Gaara relaxed as he was watching them; but still there was a ghost of a smile lingering on his features, and a shifting twinkle in his olive eyes. She was certainly an interesting kunoichi, somehow make his life different. A warm feeling invaded his chest and for the first time in a long time Gaara felt a true smile crease his face.

“Well since you are asking, no, you don’t really resemble each other that much.” Kimiko blurted, shrugging, making both of them laugh.

The three of them were cheerfully chatting while Gaara was staring at Kimiko’s petite back, feminine curves and long silver hair reaching to her waist. Excited by her new knowledge of her savior and his siblings made her feel happy, a feeling she haven't felt for a long time. At times Temari had to slap her younger brother and excuse his stupidness. After they have left, she decided to go to the shower.

Kimiko walked to the bathroom. When she entered she took her clothes off, carefully around her arm, which was almost fully healed, and stepped in the shower. For a moment she wondered what exactly was in that cream. She had been standing in the shower for a while now; letting the water cascade over her, thinking about her family, friends, and the young man she met in the desert. Gaara looked like a strong determined man, just like her brother. She smiled to herself.

Thinking about him, she had one; two questions she wanted to ask him. Kimiko wanted to meet with the Kazekage and become a part of Sunakagure; and last, she wanted to know who he really was. She closed her eyes, the water felt good on her skin, she could feel it washing down all her stress, worries and dirt.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, this is my first Naruto fanfic ever. I hope you will enjoy it~♪


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